


Gold and Silver Threads

by MagMar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst with a Happy Ending, But starts out as such, Canon Divergence - Post-Hogwarts, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Grief/Mourning, Hogwarts, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Post-Hogwarts, Reader is a former Death Eater, Reader is the DADA Teacher, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, dealing with death, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagMar/pseuds/MagMar
Summary: It comes to the shock of everyone that McGonagall had appointed the former Death Eater (Y/N) as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It comes to an even bigger shock to Scorpius, who hadn’t seen his godparent since his mother’s funeral, and to Draco, who’s been trying to contact them ever since. (Y/N) juggles being the most despised teacher at Hogwarts, the persistence of Scorpius trying to learn what happened between them and his father, and Draco’s calls from the stupid Nokia phone they’d gotten for him years ago.Slow Burn Draco Malfoy x ReaderReader is a Pure-Blood Slytherin and a former Death Eater (Similar situation to Draco)PLEASE read the author's note before reading!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	1. An Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

> Some little disclaimers and notes before we begin!

Since quarantine is a Thing for the foreseeable future in my country and I’ve been in the mood to write fics, I figure I’d finally write this idea that I’ve had in my brain for a couple of years. But I also felt like I needed to write a disclaimer as I’m not very good at finishing fics, let alone multi-chapter ones. Granted, this is the first time I’ve written a long fic in a couple of years so it could possibly work. But I wanted to give a heads up as I’m mostly a one-shot writer. I don’t really know where/how I’m going to end this, so let’s see what happens I guess.

I’m a sucker for Draco fics that are post-Hogwarts because being an adult is hard and I love to see other writers interpret adult life in the Wizarding World while having the trauma of being a Death Eater at a young age. This fic is going to include elements from the Cursed Child (like Albus and Scorpius being bullied, Astoria dying, etc), but none of the actual plot because that's just too complicated for me to include. Also, Draco doesn’t have a ponytail lol.

I’ve made the reader gender-neutral as I want to make it accessible to everyone! Let me know if you have any advice! I also put a warning for violence just in case, as I'm thinking of jumping between different years, including pre-Battle of Hogwarts. There will always be warnings in cases of use of alcohol, drugs, language, etc.  
I intend this to start out as what is thought to be unrequited love into a slow burn between Reader and Draco, along with Hogwarts Teacher Shenanigans.

Anywho, Thanks for Reading!


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco sees a familiar face when he sees Scorpius off at Platform 9 3/4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Mentions of Grief/Grieving  
> Short chapter for now, as I'm just getting into the swing of things. As always, feel free to comment if you have any comments/critiques/advice! Thanks!

Seeing off Scorpius at Platform 9 3/4 felt bittersweet to Draco. His son was about halfway through Hogwarts, but his wife had passed before she could see it. At least with his son around and bubbly as ever, he could take his mind off the grief for more than a single moment. Now he was left to his own devices, his own thoughts. It wasn’t like he had any friends he could talk to either. Most of Astoria’s friends already didn’t like him, and most of his own friends weren’t truly “friends”. The one friend he actually did have hasn’t spoken to him since Astoria’s funeral.  
As he waved Scorpius goodbye as the boy boarded the train, a flash of black caught his eye. A familiar figure wearing neatly pressed robes with gold and silver trimming, their hair a sharp (h/c) color, and their eyes stared at the red train. Their face looked professional but tired at the same time, and their expressions seemed to scream nervousness.  
Draco started to speed-walk towards the direction of the figure, and luckily, he managed to reach them before they could board.  
“(Y/N).”  
Their face whipped around to see him, their eyes growing bigger at the sight of the blonde man.  
“Draco.” They say curtly. “Nice to see you-”  
“Where the hell have you been?” Draco said, breaking into a desperate tone. “I’ve been sending Owls, I visited your parents, I even tried to use that bloody stupid brick you gave me-”  
“I don’t think that even works now, Draco” They responded, a slight hint of a chuckle in their voice.  
“The brick?How does it-”  
“Listen Draco, I have to go,” They said, gesturing to the Hogwarts Express sounding its horn. “I’ll talk to you later.”  
Before they could turn to board the train, Draco grabbed their arm and pulled them towards him. His face was barely inches away from theirs, and Draco could feel their breath on his face.  
“Owl. Me. Tomorrow.” He demanded, exaggerating every word. “I will send Scorpius after you.”  
Their eyes grew with surprise  
“How do you know…”  
Draco let go of their arm, letting them relax. “A whole lot of parents have been talking about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher being an ex-Death Eater,” He murmured so only (Y/N) could hear, “Process of elimination, (Y/N). It wasn’t that hard.”  
(Y/N) frowned, before hearing the train start to move.  
“Shit, I need to go.” They said, turning around.  
Draco looked on as they climbed onto the slow-moving Hogwarts Express.  
They flashed a smile at him, before entering the compartment.


	3. Chapter 1: Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which (Y/N) meets two familiar fourth-year Slytherins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: none!  
> Sorry in advance for the OOC-ness of Albus in this particular scene. It seems that outside of his frustration for being in Slytherin, he's pretty quiet compared to how bubbly Scorpius is.  
> Enjoy!

Of all the people you could’ve seen, you just _had _to run into Draco Malfoy. It was not enough that the universe decided to let Professor McGonagall find your Muggle address where you’ve been hiding away for years and practically blackmailed you into becoming the DADA teacher at Hogwarts. Now, the universe wanted you to face Draco Malfoy in his stupid perfect robe with his stupid perfectly combed hair and his stupidly perfect pointed face.__

____

__

Saved by the horn of the beast that is the Hogwarts Express, you managed to enter the train and escaped the grasps of your fellow ex-Death Eater. You passed several compartments until you found one empty, opening it up and sitting inside with your luggage. You rummaged through your bookbag to find the several DADA textbooks that McGonagall had given you to study and had begun taking notes for lesson plans.

The sound of the compartment door opening caused your head to turn and find two young boys staring at you. One had brown hair and had a strange sense of familiarity to you, though you could not place it, while the other had starkly blond-white hair, gray eyes, and a pointed nose. 

“(Y/N)! Why are you here on the train?” exclaimed Scorpius, shoving himself and his luggage into the compartment and onto the seat. 

As much as you loved your godson, how the _hell _did he manage to find you within the first 15 minutes of you sitting on this goddamn train?__

____

__

The other boy quietly sat down next to him but looked forward with an amused yet confused expression on his face.

“That’s _Professor _(L/N) to you, little Scorpion.” You tutted, smiling.__

____

____

“You’re a professor?!”

“I’m still a bit lost here, Scorpius” the brunette piped up.

“Oh! Sorry!” Scorpius turned to the brunette and gestured to you. 

“(Y/N)-”

“Professor (L/N), Scorpius” You interrupted, amused.

“Right, Professor (Y/N) (L/N) is my godparent.” Scorpius finished, turning to you and gesturing to the brunette.

“(Y/N),-"

“Professor” You corrected again.

“Professor, this is Albus Potter.” Scorpius finished again. “I’m never going to get used to calling you professor.”

“You’ll get there,” You chuckled, turning to Albus and sticking out your hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter.”

The boy takes it and smiles, “Nice to meet you, Professor.”

“Are you going to call me Mr. Malfoy from now on? Oh, wait!” Scorpius stopped himself excitedly, before exclaiming “What are you teaching?”

“I’m probably going to have to call you Mr. Malfoy during class, but otherwise, you’ll still be Scorpion.” You said, smiling, “And I’m teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Scorpius' face fell a bit, and Albus finally spoke.

“You’re the one people have been talking about on the train.”

You felt your insides twist a bit, but you didn’t let that affect your smile.

“I have a reputation already?” You said playfully.

“Rose told me about how the parents are concerned that the new DADA teacher is a Death Eater,” Albus said to Scorpius, who piped up at the mention of the name “Rose”.

“Well, they’re not a Death Eater anymore.” Scorpius shrugged. 

Albus nodded, “Right.”

Albus turned to you with a sad smile, “You’re probably going to get a lot of flack from the other students.”

“I’ve heard, do they still think you’re the son of Voldemort?” You asked Scorpius.

“Yup!” he said, pointing to his luggage. His luggage was green and silver with the initials S.H.M. monogrammed on it, along with “Son of Voldemort” scrawled largely on the side of it. “Unfortunately, I left my luggage alone for a couple of minutes.”

“Merlin, I hate teenagers” You cursed, shaking your head at the luggage.

“Me too,” Albus says promptly. Scorpius laughs at the shared disgust.

The three of you sat in the compartment for another hour, before the duo left to change into their robes. You remained in the compartment, glancing to see a couple of students taking a quick peek into your compartment before leaving in either freight or disgust. Whatever the rumors were, at least they would keep students away from you during your off-hours.  
You looked through your book bag again to find a small green monogrammed notebook. It was a gift from your parents once you started Hogwarts, and has yet to be finished. In the back of the inside of the notebook, you took out an older photograph. It featured a younger you in a silver dress shirt and gray pants and a man in a black suit and blonde-white hair. Both of you were happily sitting on the pavement in front of a stingy club, with the man mocking the cellphone in your hand and you happily teasing him about it, before smiling for the camera and him putting his arm around you. 

The train finally stopped, with Albus and Scorpius returning to the compartment right after you put away the photo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, I just find the concept of wizards/witches finding out about phones really funny. The constant mentions of phones will build up to something I promise lol


	4. Chapter 2: Intros and Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Some Language. Mentions of Death, Brief Mention of Drinking  
> It's 3 am right now, so I apologize if this has typos at the moment. Strangely enough, I never really realized that Neville had blonde hair in the books, but brown in the films? So I gave him dirty blonde hair because of this ;)

Arriving at Hogwarts and seeing it in its restored glory was something that you never expected to be shocked at. The parts of Hogwarts that you remembered destroyed and downright seemingly unrepairable were now up and seemed brand new. Every part of the big castle was still hard to look at without being reminded of certain things

You can still remember the green lights and the bodies that littered the ground.

You waved goodbye to Scorpius and Albus as you left for the teacher’s quarters and quickly dropped off your things in your assigned living quarters. It featured a simple bed, closet, desk, and fireplace, along with a private bathroom. The majority of the room was black and dark green, mimicking the aesthetic of the Slytherin dorms, while the bathroom was made of the same porcelain used in the Prefects bathroom. The room itself was a bit bare but had a sense of coldness that felt familiar. Perhaps because it was also in the dungeons.

As you headed to the Great Hall, you watched as a clan of newly arrived Hogwarts students started filing into the corridor, laughing as all kids do. The Great Hall was getting more and more filled as you entered it, feeling a weird sense of excitement mixed with dread. You took your seat at the faculty table, looking over to the Slytherin table to see a familiar blondie wave at you from the seat. You gave him a small wave, before a familiar voice calls,

“(Y/N)! Fancy seeing you as a professor this year!”

You turned your head around to see a tall man with dirty blonde hair wearing teachers robes. He was definitely older, but you could recognize the stupid smile from anywhere.

“Good evening, Neville.” You said curtly.

Neville takes a seat next to you, grabbing at the water that had been served earlier. 

“What are you teaching?”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“How-”

“Ironic?”

“I was going to say fitting, but that too.”

You chuckled as you also reached for your goblet. McGonagall had stepped up to the Headmaster’s podium, wearing a set of pale white robes along with her signature hat in the same color. She tapped the podium with her wand, clearing the voices of the bouncy students in the hall.

“Now that we’re all settled in, I’d like to welcome you to Hogwarts, whether it is your first year or seventh year.” She began, boasting. “Before we began the sorting ceremony, it is always customary to welcome in new faculty.”

You mentally prepared your introduction. McGonagall gestured to your side of the faculty table.

“I would like to introduce Professor (Y/N) (L/N) as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.”

You stood up and raised your hand to give a small wave. A lot more students that you predicted applauded you, with two certain Slytherins being some of the loudest. You could still see the tension in the others, especially those who hadn’t come from Muggle families.

“Professor (L/N) has been one of the pioneers of weaving Defensive spells into clothing and dissecting the Dark Arts for analysis. We’re very proud to see such a talented individual join the faculty here at Hogwarts.” McGonagall continued. You grimaced slightly at the compliments from her speech, as she was clearly piling it on. Still, the claps continued after her bit.  
“It’s also my pleasure to announce that Professor (L/N) will be the new head of the Slytherin House.” McGonagall finished.

Oh.

_That’s _why your living quarters were in the dungeon.__

__The Slytherin table erupted in applause and a couple of whoops. They clearly did not give a fuck if their head was a former Death Eater. Or maybe they didn’t know who you were?  
Neville next to you patted your shoulder and yelled a “Congrats” along with the applause.  
You smiled slightly more and did a bit more waving before McGonagall continued on to the Sorting Ceremony._ _

__…..........................................................................................................................................................................................._ _

__“Couldn’t you have just told me that I was also going to be Head of the Slytherin House?” You snapped at McGonagall. Standing in front of the headmistress in her office was a sight to behold. You hadn’t been in here since Snape had called you and him during your final year. Most of the structure was still the same, with a few additions here and there. Fawkes was on her post, looking over the scene.  
The older woman stared at you, pulling off her spectacles to look you in the eye.  
“It wasn’t my intention to blindside you, I’m sorry for the miscommunication, my dear.” McGonagall said, “But we made a little mistake.”  
“We’re magical people. How’d-”  
“(Y/N), all you have to do is make sure the students are in the bed by curfew and make sure the students behave. The Prefects will help you.”  
You sighed in defeat.  
“Alright, Professor-”  
“Minerva.”  
“Right,” You chuckled. “I keep forgetting I’m an adult now.”  
McGonagall smiled, “Now go on, your Prefects are probably wondering where you are.”_ _

__…..........................................................................................................................................................................................._ _

__

__At least 100 (perhaps 200) eyes stared at you, about to hang onto every single word that comes out of your mouth.  
You decided that you would call an impromptu meeting with the entire Slytherin house in order to introduce yourself, and you were beginning to regret it. Seeing all the faces look at with a mix of pity, disgust, and pride was a strange sight, especially considering you directly contributed to the dark reputation the House had garnered within the last two decades. You find the faces of Scorpius and Albus in the crowd, who were both sitting on the dark flooring. Scorpius waved at you again, while Albus gave you a good smile._ _

__The two prefects, a tall girl with dirty blonde hair by the name Annie Warbeck and a shorter black-haired boy named Seth Turpin, looked at you from the side. They were initially surprised when you told them you wanted to greet the entire House but scurried off quickly to gather up the students._ _

__It felt like you were about to make a big mistake._ _

__“Um, I guess I shall introduce myself with a bit more information.” you began nervously. The students stayed silent._ _

__“My name is (Y/N) (L/N), I was a student here from 1991-1998. In my career in Defensive Arts, I worked alongside Aurors in the US, developing Defensive robes and analyzing the effects of certain Dark magic” You stated. You catch a few unsure glances, sensing that some of the students could tell that you were purposely leaving out information. A couple were whispering to one another but stopped at the hard stare from Annie._ _

__You decided to bite the bullet._ _

__“You may also know me as a former Death Eater.”_ _

__The students were silent, but their expressions told all. Ranging from panic to surprise to shock. Scorpius looked the most shocked, even a bit mortified. Albus matched him. Both Prefects were holding their breath, eyes wide._ _

__You sighed again “I held this meeting with the purpose of answering all your questions since I felt like this House has been defined by the darkness that I directly contributed too, and you deserve to know about that part of my life since it reflects onto yours as the Slytherin House.”_ _

__You stood up and got rid of your defeated expression and replaced it with a confident one._ _

__“You may ask any questions about my past as a Death Eater, or present day. After this, I don’t expect you to like me, but respect me enough as your Head of House. Understood?”_ _

__Silence takes over the students, but the Prefects reply with delicate nods._ _

__“Good. I will take questions for approximately 15 minutes since it’s late. You may begin.”_ _

__To your surprise, one of the Prefects raised their hands first._ _

__“Mr. Turpin?”_ _

__The boy stood up a bit straighter and confidently presented his question.  
“Why aren’t you in Azkaban with the others? If you don’t mind.”_ _

__“That’s a good question,” You replied. “The Ministry determined that based on my actions in not identifying Harry Potter to the other Death Eaters in one instance, my testimony, and my actions at Hogwarts during my last year, I did not join the Death Eaters for the same reasons as others.”_ _

__“What does that mean?” Another boy asked. This one was obviously a first year._ _

__“My father failed Voldemort, so Voldemort had my mother force me to join and assigned me a task.” You answered. “I’m pretty sure you can imagine what would have happened if I refused.”_ _

__There was silence for a beat, then another voice piped up._ _

__“The task was killing Dumbledore, right?”  
You turned to see who it was and were surprised to see that it was Scorpius who had spoken. _ _

__“That’s right.” You replied._ _

__“How’d you help Harry Potter?” A second-year spoke up._ _

__Albus’ expression downturned slightly, but he still looked up at you with curiosity._ _

__“Potter was kidnapped by a bunch of Snatchers and brought to the Malfoy Manor, which served as the headquarters for most of the Death Eaters.” You answered. Scorpius winced slightly at his surname being mentioned, and a lot of eyes turned to him. “Granger, who is now Minister of Magic, had casted a Stinging Jinx on him so he would be unrecognizable. Death Eaters insisted on me and Draco Malfoy to identify him before they called the Dark Lord.”  
You were a bit hesitant about mentioning Draco’s name, but since Scorpius was here, you might as well admit it._ _

__“Did you?”_ _

__“Both of us told them that we weren’t sure that it was Potter, and according to him after this mess ended, it bought them time.”_ _

__The students murmured for a bit, and Scorpius smiled slightly, elbowing Albus and shooting him a glance. A girl from the edge of the mob of students spoke up next._ _

__“What’s it like? Being a Death Eater?”_ _

__“It’s terrible. Even worse when you’re living with them 24/7.” you deadpanned._ _

__Another one blurted  
“Who’s the worst Death Eater?”_ _

__“Besides the Dark Lord, definitely Bellatrix,” you said, “She was batshit crazy.”_ _

__A few chuckled at your use of a ‘bad’ word. The questions rolled in for a while, going from asking if Death Eaters actually ate dead people (“No, but we definitely smelt of death”) to whether Voldemort had a secret nose somewhere (“Merlin, do all of you think I was that close to the bloke?”). By the end, most of the students were giggling at your lax replies._ _

__“Alright, that’s about time. You all get a good night’s rest” You said, as the students delivered a chorale of ‘good nights’ to you. Scorpius and Albus waved while yawning, clearly tired, and headed to their rooms._ _

__You bid the Prefects goodbye and headed to your quarters. On your desk was a letter addressed to you in perfect handwriting. Curse Draco Malfoy and his stupidly perfect handwriting._ _

__Severely tempted to burn the letter and not even glance at it, you decided that Draco would probably have Scorpius pester you until no tomorrow. You begrudgingly open it, surprised to see that it was a fairly straightforward letter._ _

___(Y/N),_ _ _

___Meet me in the Manor at 11:30 sharp._ _ _

___-DM ____ _

____The clock showed that it was almost time. You knew that this was never going to stop, so long as you’re at Hogwarts. You swallowed your pride and used the fireplace to access the Floo Network._ _ _ _

____Once you erupt from the flames, you find Draco Malfoy sitting in the Malfoy Manor living room, drinking._ _ _ _

____“Have a seat, (Y/N).”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of lazy ending, but I wanted to end with a little excitement since everything so far has been build-up for the Reader character.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have any comments/concerns/critique/advice, please comment!


End file.
